Project Energy Engineer

Structural Engineering

Youssef Associates

Mep Engineering

Storms and Lowe

Landscape Architects

Dry Design, Inc

Client

Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Area

30150.0 sqm

Project Year

2002

From the architect. The award winning, LEEDTM Gold Certified, Colorado Court by Brooks + Scarpa is 100% energy independent, distinguishing itself from most conventionally developed projects. Implementing energy efficient measures above and beyond the standard practices of the time, this project was able to optimize its building performance and ensure reduced energy use during all phases of construction and continuing upon occupancy.

The initial planning and design of Colorado Court was a direct derivative of an emphasis on passive solar design strategies. These strategies include: locating and orienting the building to control solar cooling loads; shaping and orienting the building for exposure to prevailing winds; shaping the building to induce buoyancy for natural ventilation; designing windows to maximize daylighting; shading south facing windows and minimizing west-facing glazing; designing windows to maximize natural ventilation; shaping and planning the interior to enhance daylight and natural air flow distribution.

Colorado Court features several state of the art technologies that distinguish it as a model demonstration building of sustainable energy supply and utilization. These technologies include a natural gas powered turbine/heat recovery system that generate the base electrical load and hot water demands for the building and a solar electric panel system integrated into the façade and roof of the building that supply most of the peak load electricity demand.

The co-generation system converts utility natural gas to electricity to meet the base load power needs of the building and captures waste heat to produce hot water for the building throughout the year as well as space heating needs in the winter. This system has a conversion efficiency of natural gas in excess of 85% compared to a less than 30% conversion efficiency of primary energy delivered by the utility grid at the building site.

The solar photovoltaic system produces green electricity at the building site that releases no pollutants to the environment. The panels are integral to the building envelope and unused solar electricity is delivered to the grid during the daytime and retrieved from the grid at night as needed. These systems will pay for themselves in less than ten years and annual savings in electricity and natural gas bills are estimated to be in excess of $6000.